MSc Conservation Biology

The world’s habitats are undergoing rapid transformation. The impacts of climate change are causing species extinction at an unprecedented rate. Conservation biology as a discipline looks at the science behind these changes – including the identification of ecosystems at risk, ways of conserving biodiversity, and the role of genetics and demography.

With our masters, you’ll tackle all that and more, gaining the knowledge and skills for a career at the forefront of conservation. You’ll explore the scientific background to species conservation and the factors driving extinction. You’ll also look at the sustainable use of resources and learn valuable statistical techniques for analysing ecological data. With a range of option units, you’ll be able to specialise in areas like species recovery and behavioural biology.

But this course is as much about practice as it is about theory. While the core units include a field course to Poland, Ecuador or East Africa, your masters project also has a practical focus, demanding in-depth research before you present your findings.

Throughout it all, you’ll be supported by experienced academics, who’ll bring their real-world expertise direct to the classroom as you prepare to make your own way in the world of conservation. And with the international focus of this degree, it’s a career journey that could take you literally anywhere.

You'll study a range of units – including your field course and your dissertation project. You’ll start off with core units exploring areas like biodiversity conservation, statistical research and sustainability.

It’s also a masters course with the flexibility to delve into the specialist areas that interest you most, including option units like Behavioural Biology, Species Recovery, and Avian Biology and Conservation.

You’ll take a field course unit, travelling to Poland, East Africa or Ecuador, while your final masters-level dissertation project could also involve international travel for gathering data and conducting research.

Course delivery is flexible and most lectures take place in the evening. Lectures, other course materials and assessment information is available via our online learning platform, Moodle.

You will be assessed mostly through coursework, although some units have a formal examination.

MSc Student Research Projects - International Opportunities 

As part of your research project, you'll have the opportunity to stay for six weeks at one of our research bases in Tanzania or Kenya and collect data for your project.

You can also join our two-week Tanzania Field Course, which takes place in June every year. There are visits to some of the most famous wildlife sites in the world, including the Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti National Park. We study some of the human impacts on, and management issues in, these protected areas as well as some of the factors affecting group size and mating systems of large mammals.

We are currently undertaking a number of research studies on:

The ecology and genetics of the black rhino to try to understand why their breeding rates are very low in some Kenyan reserves.
The distribution of crop-raiding by elephants and strategies for reducing predator attacks on livestock.
The impact of pastoralism and other habitat changes on animal behaviour and biodiversity conservation.